


Endings are the Saddest Part

by cuppernaut



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Hecate-centric but dives into the psyche of other main characters too, Hicsqueak, Mostly Canon Compliant, Original Characters - Freeform, but I understand and appreciate hackle, end game is hicsqueak, friendships, growing up is really rough, so there's a fair bit of that snuck in too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-09-30 10:04:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20445338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuppernaut/pseuds/cuppernaut
Summary: Despite how Miss Hardbroom portrays herself to her students, she is not as cold-hearted and strict as she makes herself out to be. Pippa knows the real Hecate, has always known the real Hecate despite how she tries to hide herself. But Hecate has the tendency to lie to Pippa to protect her, where as Ada... well Ada knows all the dark and gruesome secrets of Hecate's horrid childhood. Hecate was once fun and carefree... can she ever learn to forgive herself and overcome her intense self-hatred?----------------------------------------------------------------------------Or... How Joy Hardbroom grew into the Hecate Hardbroom we've all grown to love, including her complicated friendship with not just Pippa but Ada as well. The story begins before Hecate meets Indigo, and it goes all the way to the end of season 3 (and then some, because Hecate and Pippa are madly in love).





	1. The Start of an Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
This is the first fanfiction I've ever written, but it's not the first fiction I've written, so hopefully it's mildly tolerable! First chapter is short but they get increasingly longer and more detailed.
> 
> I tried to keep things canon compliant for the most part. After season 3 I was just trying to piece together how Hecate's life played out, so I decided to write about it. The only thing that's potentially far off from canon is that I made Hecate and Ada the same age (and in the same year at Cackle's). I did some research and I don't think it's explicitly said they're different ages, but it seems to be common place in the fandom to say Ada is older. I think it's reasonable they were at least at Cackle's at the same time though, so that's what I wrote. Also... I guess witches normally can't be seen by non-magical people? But I think that makes no sense because then Mildred's mother wouldn't have be able to see her child like... ever. So I just decided there's a potion they can take to hide from non-magicals. Sue me. 
> 
> Also, being an adult, it makes me really uncomfortable to read about physical love between kids under the age of 18... so even though there's a lot of feelings and pinning when the girls are in school at Cackle's, there's not going to be anything more. And writing smut makes me uncomfortable too... so there won't be any of that when they're adults either. Sorry not sorry. This is plot, not porn. 
> 
> I meant for this to be pretty basic and not too detailed (since I'm a full time college graduate student, I don't have a lot of time on my hands, and I was just writing this for fun) but it's clearly gotten out of hand. My goal is to upload at least a chapter once a week (maybe more or maybe less though) so hang around. 
> 
> Give me some love in the comments (or hate if that's more your vibe) and just let me know what you think. You can find me on tumblr at cuppernaut or I have a website where you can find other things I've written (like books and a blog): hadfieldcm.com  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Come on! Hurry up! We’re going to be late for chanting!”

“But class is going to be so boring today. Wouldn’t you much rather sneak outside and test this new potion I concocted?”

“You’re going to get us into trouble.”

“That doesn’t sound like a no to me…”

Joy Hardbroom collided right into the two near identical twin girls, knocking her books from her hands. She gasped in surprise, listening to Agatha’s bitter contempt at her clumsiness as Ada dipped down and helped pick up her books.

“I’m so sorry!” Joy gasped. “Pardon me, I was distracted. I should have been watching where I was going.”

“Yeah, you should have,” Agatha huffed. “You nearly made me drop my potion.” She clasped the vial of swirling purple liquid in her hand, holding it up to the light to inspect for damage.

“Is that an invisibility potion?” Joy questioned with interest.

“It’s better!” Agatha sneered, suddenly grabbing Joy’s wrist and tugging her back behind a stone pillar. Ada followed a bit begrudgingly, still carrying a stack of Joy’s books. “It makes you invisible to all non-magical folks. Ada and I are going to sneak into town today and get some ingredients for pranks.”

“Sounds interesting,” Joy nodded, turning and finally collecting her things from Ada. “Thanks,” she nodded to the other girl. “I think though… you should have added a little more beetroot. The potion should turn out a pale lilac, but yours is a little deep. Beetroot should lighten it up to the perfect ratio next time you brew some.”

Joy nodded, a hesitant smile on her face, but Agatha didn’t take the criticism well. “You’re such a freaking know-it-all. If you weren’t such a brat, maybe we’d invite you out with us.”

“Well you’re going to need a new batch of that potion before you head out anyway,” Joy shrugged.

“Come on, Agatha, let’s just go to chanting,” Ada pleaded, tugging at her sister’s arm.

Joy nodded to the twins before she turned and headed off on her own way again. She had chanting as well, which was certainly not her favorite class by any means, but she was mostly punctual and didn’t want to be late. Exams were coming up, but her mind was spread elsewhere. She approached the classroom door, still thinking about Agatha’s poorly brewed potion, but she stopped short, remembering the letter in her hand. She had been reading the letter when she collided headlong into Agatha.

Joy held up the letter, inspecting the Hardbroom family crest pressed into the wax seal. Sometimes, no, rather, most times she despised her parents. They wanted a mirror call as soon as Joy was free… as if she’d ever give them the satisfaction. Her brows tipped in anger and with a snap, the letter vanished. Good riddance.

Joy stomped into chanting, her mood now bitter. She fell into her desk, scrambling to reorganize her disheveled books. The need for magic to always be prestigious was annoying. Her parents were always breathing down her back about tradition and how to be proper. Evidently, the Hardbroom name brought with it a lot of pressure, which Joy understood—she was, after all, top of her year—but she grew tired of the rigidness. Would it really be so awful to have a little fun with magic every once in a while?

As she thought, to calm her head, Joy doodled in her notebook as she waited for class to start. She found herself drawing a potion that would allow her a little more frivolousness in her life. She drafted up a list of ingredients in all the right ratios to make the potion Agatha wanted. Maybe a trip into town would suit her well.

Joy was snapped from her drafting when she heard a distinct _poof_ followed by the crackling sparkle of magic and a scream. In an instance, Claire stormed into the classroom covered in a periwinkle dust, her hands clenched into fists.

“Why can’t those pesky twins mind their own business!” Claire shouted. “Look at the state of me, Avery!”

Avery dashed into the classroom next, clearly trying to suppress her giggles. “I don’t know, Claire. I think periwinkle quite suits you.”

Another _poof_ went off in the hallway, but this time Joy heard Emory burst into laughter. “You missed me, bat brains!” she laughed, skipping into the classroom. Claire eyed her clean friend with annoyance.

Joy bit at her lip. Both Claire and Emory deserved to be covered in prank dust. They were, by far, the most annoying girls in their entire year. Good on the Cackle twins for getting at least one of them.

But then, another _poof_ rang out. Joy tipped her head towards the door curiously, only to find one Pippa Pentangle skipping into the room, covered head to toe in a rich pink dust. “Looks like they got us both,” Pippa shrugged to her friend Claire. Claire snarled, smacking at Emory who was still laughing. Then Pippa turned to Avery and after a beat, both girls burst out laughing too.

Pippa was too good for them. Joy shook her head slightly.

“Come on, Claire, stop being such a sour puss,” Pippa declared. With a whisper of a spell and a quick wave of her hands, the dust disappeared from both herself and Claire, the two girls looking good as new. “No sense being bitter when we have magic to clean up with, am I right?” Pippa grinned.

“The Cackle twins are a nuisance,” Claire huffed, taking her seat. “They ought to be expelled… not running this magical academy in their future. I’d never send my children here if they were running the place.”

“You’re just mad because both Ada and Agatha scored higher on their potions exam than you did,” Avery declared, drumming her fingers against Claire’s desk.

Joy found that she was still staring in Pippa’s direction. Some days, she wished a little too desperately that she could be Pippa’s friend. Though she never wanted to be friends with Claire and Emory, and really, those four girls—along with Avery—came as a package deal no matter what. Besides, Joy was nothing like those girls. They were refined and charismatic, still brilliant witches in their own rights, but they didn’t have the strictness of the best witching bloodline to hold them back. They could have fun if they wanted without having to desperately watch their backs.

Pippa and Joy locked eyes from across the room, and it looked almost as if Pippa had given her the smallest of smiles. It couldn’t have been though. Joy shook her head. Pippa sat down in her seat and Joy was convinced she had imagined the entire thing.

Joy looked back down at her notebook with her potion draft. Maybe if she could afford to have a little fun, she could understand why Pippa seemed to radiate such positive energy. Maybe, if she could brew a proper non-magical folk invisibility potion, she could make friends with the Cackle twins. And maybe, befriending the year’s worst troublemakers would be the best revenge against her parents.

Maybe.


	2. Agatha Cackle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hecate learns she's more like Agatha than she originally thought, and tired of the ridiculous standards adults hold them too, rebellion begins.

“And then… yes… just a pinch more beetroot ought to do it. Right, Morgana?” Joy ladled out a bit of her potion mixture, swirling it around in a vial as she showed off the lilac glow to her familiar. She was answered with a beaming _meow_.

“Should we… test it first?” Joy questioned. “Or just give the extra to Ada and Agatha?”

Again, she was answered with a beaming _meow_.

“You aren’t being helpful,” Joy scolded, though she was too in awe of the power she now held within her hands. She could escape from campus and explore every part of the non-magical world, and she would never get caught because no one in the non-magical world would be able to see her. Magic shouldn’t be something of prestige and rigor… it should be fun.

“What are you doing in here?”

Joy jumped, spinning around so fast she nearly knocked her cauldron off the potions desk. She came face to face with Emory and Claire, her two least favorite classmates. She found herself looking past the girls and eagerly scanning the hallway for Pippa, but the bright young witch was not with them.

“I’m practicing for our potions exam,” Joy answered with ease.

“Well then you’re doing it all wrong, considering we haven’t got a single lilac potion on our exam,” Claire stated with a smirk.

“Um… yeah, it seems I do need a bit more practice,” Joy nodded.

“Look, Mrs. Cackle sent us to come fetch you,” Emory stated. “She wants you in her office as soon as possible.”

“I just have to finish up this—”

“She means now,” Emory snapped.

“Fine, I’m going,” Joy practically hissed, discreetly pocketing her potion vials before using magic to quickly clean up.

Emory and Claire turned and left once they were sure Joy was indeed heading off for the headmistress’s office. Joy stalked off, but couldn’t help overhearing the girls.

“You think Ada and Agatha are bad, but there’s just something so off about that Joy…”

“We just need to get out of this school for a day,” Joy whispered to her black cat familiar.

Slowly, Joy came to a stop just outside of the headmistress’s office. She didn’t mind Mrs. Cackle, and in fact, the woman seemed to really have the students’ best interests in mind. But there was, according to her, a definite time and place for everything, which didn’t always line up with what the students thought. Joy lifted her hand to knock, but stopped, hearing voices from inside the room.

“I’m very disappointed in your behavior, girls,” Mrs. Cackle stated. “This academy is your namesake… you have something bigger than yourself that you should be proud of and you should be striving towards excellence because of it. There is a certain reputation you must uphold and I—”

“I haven’t any desire to fulfill _your_ wishes, mother,” Agatha stated.

“So be lucky the academy isn’t going to you,” Mrs. Cackle snapped. “Ada, dear, please. You must understand your responsibilities and you need to learn to be mature… be a strong leader, not a follower of your sister’s bad behavior. Can you do that for me?”

“Ye… yes, mother.”

“Okay, now run along. And see to it that I hear of no more incidences from you two.”

Joy stepped back from the door just as Agatha and Ada shoved out into the hallway.

“I can’t believe her sometimes,” Agatha huffed. “She acts like this academy is more important to her than her own daughters. It’s like we can’t have any fun, can’t be _children_, because we have this reputation to uphold that we never even asked for. I say we just run away and abandon the whole academy. Who cares about some stupid academy anyway?”

“Agatha, can you calm down?” Ada scolded. “Mother is running out of patience for us… for you. If you can’t learn to behave, she’s going to have no choice but to punish you.”

“Punish me? What could she do that would be so bad?” Agatha scoffed.

“Expel you,” Ada stated with complete seriousness. “She thinks you’re a bad influence on me, so she’d separate us.”

“She would never. Expel me? Send me to a different magical school? Ada, she owns this academy, it wouldn’t make any sense to send me elsewhere.”

“You’re tarnishing the family name.”

“Frankly, Ada, I don’t give a flying broom about the family name.”

Joy stood frozen as she watched the twins disappear around a corner. Something about what Agatha was saying resonated deep inside her. All the time she was stopped from having fun all because of her family name. Home life was utterly miserable and it really was all because of her stupid traditional family name.

“Joy, darling, do come in.”

Joy spun, realizing that the twins had left the door open, so Mrs. Cackle saw her standing rigid out in the hall. Slowly, Joy calmed herself with a few deep breaths before bounding into the headmistress’s office.

“I do apologize about all that,” Mrs. Cackle sighed, rubbing at her temples. “Motherhood is certainly a full-time job, and on top of my already full-time job as headmistress… Oh, but I shouldn’t bother you with my stressors. How are you doing, Joy? How are your studies coming along?”

“I’m fine, as are my studies,” Joy answered. 

“That’s good, I’m very glad to hear it,” Mrs. Cackle nodded. “Here, take a seat, why don’t you? I’ll brew us some tea.”

Joy sat down on one of the chairs, Morgana leaping up into her lap. She waited patiently as Mrs. Cackle magically brewed them some tea, then passed her a teacup of amber liquid. Slowly, Mrs. Cackle took a seat across from Joy, and they sipped their tea in silence for several long and awkward beats.

“No sense in delaying,” Mrs. Cackle finally declared. “You see, Joy, I’ve received word from your parents that you haven’t been mirroring them for the past several weeks.”

“I’m too busy with schoolwork,” Joy stated quickly. “And besides… I haven’t anything to say to them anyway.”

Mrs. Cackle’s expression softened, and she reached out a comforting hand towards Joy. “I know that parents can be a bit harsh and rough sometimes, but it’s only because they have their daughters’ best interests in mind. Your parents only want you to be the best witch in all of the Hardbroom family legacy, so they’re going to push you, but it’s just so you’ll better yourself.”

“I… I just get tired trying to impress them and their ridiculous standards,” Joy admitted. “Sure, I want to be the best witch I can be. But would it really be so awful if I had a little fun? Used my magic for something, well, frivolous? Instead of always needing to be the best, and discovering new, helpful uses for magic. Couldn’t I just… magic myself a dance show or something, just for fun?”

“Now, now, Joy. You know perhaps better than anyone that magic is something powerful that isn’t to be taken for granted,” Mrs. Cackle chastised. “You can have fun with your schooling… fun with your friends… but try to save magic for when it really matters. Otherwise, you may come to find that when you really need magic, it won’t be there for you.”

“But how could it just… not be there?”

“Magic can fail even the strongest witches and wizards.”

Joy worried her hands, contemplating what Mrs. Cackle said, but she found it unbelievable. For magic to fail a member of the Hardbroom family? A member of the strongest witching lineage ever to exist? It couldn’t be possible. And why shouldn’t she be allowed to have fun like her peers, just because of some stupid family name?

“Thank you, Mrs. Cackle, I think I need to get going though. I have some more revising to do,” Joy stated, standing abruptly.

“Mirror your parents, please,” Mrs. Cackle declared.

“I… shall try to find the time,” Joy nodded. Then she turned and practically ran straight out of the headmistress’s office.

Without hardly stopping for a single breath, Joy ran straight to Ada’s and Agatha’s bedroom. She pounded on the door until Ada opened it, staring confusedly at the girl.

“Agatha!” Joy called, spotting the other twin sitting on her bed. She shoved past Ada and into the room.

“What do you want?” Agatha questioned, glaring at Joy.

“I heard you two talking as you left the headmistress’s office,” Joy began. “And I just… well… I can relate to you. My parents are always wanting me to be well disciplined and serious, but I want to have fun! I think magic should be fun, not all traditional and elite. I don’t care if I live up to my family’s name. Bloodlines are dumb anyway. I just, well… here.” She pulled out a vial of her lilac potion and thrust it into Agatha’s hands. “Shall we… go on an adventure?” Joy questioned with a grin.

Agatha stared down at the potion, rolling it around in her hand contemplating. She looked back at her twin, who seemed overly distraught and on the verge of arguing. Then, Agatha looked up into Joy’s eyes.

“Yeah… let’s go on an adventure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'm trying to post at least one new chapter every week, so hang around!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at cuppernaut or visit my website for my blog and books: hadfieldcm.com


	3. Indigo Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agatha and Joy escape Cackle's and Joy meets a new friend. The fun and drama is only going to grow from here!

“Give me that potion! Now!” Ada shouted, trying, and failing, to jerk the lilac potion from her twin’s hand.

“You can come too!” Joy tried to deflect, pulling out another vial. “I made plenty for all of us.”

“No!” Ada declared with a stomp of her foot. “I’m not going to let you go out using this potion. If mother finds out, that’s more than enough grounds to expel you and I… I don’t want…”

“We aren’t going to get caught,” Joy stated.

“Yeah, really, we aren’t,” Agatha added, trying to comfort her sister. “Joy is the best witch in our year. There’s no way this potion isn’t going to work. And since no non-magical folk can see us, who could possible tattle on us?”

“It’s a terrible idea!” Ada continued to push.

“You don’t have to come then!” Agatha snapped.

“Fine! I won’t!” Ada shouted, on the verge of tears. With a defiant huff, she stormed out of the bedroom, leaving Agatha and Joy alone with their potions.

That was nearly an hour ago. Now, Joy and Agatha landed in the center of a park, hopping off their broomsticks in perfect synchronization. They stood still, cautiously looking around at the masses of people, trying to gage if Joy’s potion had properly worked.

“Can… they see us?” Agatha whispered, walking towards a man with curious interest.

“No… I think the potion worked,” Joy concluded, skipping laps around a woman who seemed completely oblivious to the energetic girl.

“Do you have any idea the things we could get up to with this?” Agatha smiled a bit evilly, already brainstorming tricks they could pull.

Joy found herself zoning out, not listening to her companion at all. Instead, her attention was focused on the sounds of music floating through the park, coming from not too far away. Slowly, she began to walk towards the sound, forcing Agatha to chase after her.

“What are you doing? Hello?” Agatha practically shouted. “Don’t tell me I’ve gone invisible to you too!”

“No, it’s just… that sound, the music,” Joy explained. “Isn’t it lovely? Doesn’t it just make you want to, well, dance?”

Agatha shot her an odd expression. “No. What on earth are you talking about? It’s non-magical music, it’s so… boring.”

“No, I… well the non-magical world can’t be all boring, now can it?” Joy shrugged. “I’m going to investigate more. I like it.”

“Yes, well… I came here for fun and to relieve stress, so I’m going to go torment people,” Agatha stated, a proud grin on her face.

“Just don’t get found out. Just because they can’t see you doesn’t mean you can’t get in trouble.”

“I’m always careful.”

With that, Agatha turned and took off in the opposite direction, leaving Joy alone with that new music. She headed out of the green grass of the park, stumbling upon a small gathering of people surrounding musicians who were playing the live music. The beat found its way into Joy’s heart and she found herself tapping her foot to the tunes.

This music was far more enjoyable than any magical music she had encountered. Sure, chanting was an art all in itself, and yes, some chants could sound decent, but the purpose of a chant was to do something magical. The purpose of this music wasn’t for some task, rather, it was strictly for enjoyment.

Chanting was a difficult subject for Joy, mainly because she didn’t have the voice for it. This was a very difficult fact for her mother to swallow, considering her mother was one of the top enchantresses for years. Her mother was always going on about how Joy wasn’t dedicated to perfecting chanting, how practice would make perfect if she only tried harder. It took all the enjoyment out of music. But this… this event which non-magical folk attended, was perfect. It was frivolous, fun, and best of all, something her mother would hate.

Joy, with the beat of the song stuck in her heart, began skipping around, swirling and dancing in and out of the people. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the music, but not like Joy was. She wished she could grab one of the women’s hands and swing her around in circles as they danced together, because as Joy was starting to realize, fun was always more fun with a friend.

Slowly, she untangled herself from the crowd and took to scanning for Agatha. It was too bad Agatha didn’t love this music the way Joy did. But doing something with Agatha would be better than walking around alone. Joy began to walk down the paths, her attention scanning for Agatha’s dark braided hair, and she was scarcely looking where she was going. This was bad because she might accidentally run into a non-magical folk who thought she was invisible, but it was also bad because she was nearly run over by a girl on a bicycle.

The girl screamed for Joy to get out of the way, and Joy stumbled back just in time, the girl on the bicycle careening into a bush as she came to a stop. Joy looked back, confused, and suddenly very frightful because that girl had just seen her, had yelled at her to get out of the way, yet she was supposed to be invisible.

Joy spun a circle in a panic, but no other people seemed to take note of her and her odd Cackle’s academy uniform attire. Then, still very confused, Joy found herself concerned for the girl and immediately ran to her side.

“Hey, are you alright?” Joy questioned, helping the girl stand.

“Get back here!” a man shouted, and Joy turned again, only to see an angry man racing towards them.

“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” the girl declared, grasping Joy’s wrist tightly before running off, pulling Joy along with her. They ran out of the park and back into the woods.

“Where are we going!?” Joy shouted. “How can you see me? Wait, I’ve gone and left my friend, I can’t just run off.”

“Stop your squealing and just come on!”

“Why was that man chasing you?” Joy asked more firmly.

“It’s because I do magic tricks for the tourists’ pennies.”

“Wait… you’re magical?”

The girl turned back and winked at Joy. “Maybe I’ll show you a trick or two if you help me escape.”

Joy nodded and ran on harder.

The girls ran and ran until they broke free into a clearing in the woods. Slowly, they stopped at a sort of little camp filled with all sorts of odd and interesting objects. There was a makeshift tent and a few blankets, which the girl sat down on, rummaging around.

“Is… this where you live…?” Joy questioned hesitantly, shuffling her feet awkwardly.

“No, it’s just my den. I come here to escape my aunt and uncle. I don’t like them too much.”

“I don’t like my own parents too much either,” Joy declared. “But I haven’t got any place as cool as this to escape to.”

The girl procured a small jar, which she opened and dumped some pennies into. Then, she looked over at Joy.

“I’m Indigo. Indigo Moon, but you can call me Indie,” she stated. She twisted the lid shut on the jar and hid it away again, this time digging around for something else.

“I’m Joy,” Joy responded. “Are you really magical?”

“Well… I’ll let you be the judge of that,” Indigo smirked. She stood up straight and tall before Joy, holding out a chocolate muffin. “Now you see it…” she said, covering the muffin with her other hand and twirling her fingers. “Now… you don’t.” She uncovered her hand, showing that the muffin was gone. Joy furrowed her brow in confusion, taking half a step forward, but Indigo stopped her. “Oh, but wait,” Indigo smirked. “What’s that in your pocket?”

Joy reached into her pocket which Indigo was pointing at and pulled out a handful of chocolate crumbs. She stared at her hand in confusion.

“Well, needs some practice, but still,” Indigo shrugged.

“That’s supposed to be magic?”

“Hey, magic’s real!” Indigo defended, stepping back towards her den again. “As long as you believe in it.”

“So that’s how you can see me!” Joy gasped.

“What are you talking about?” Indigo questioned. “Of course I can see you. You’re a real girl, aren’t you?”

“And you can do all that without real magic?” Joy continued, even more intrigued. “How did you make the muffin disappear? And how did you get those crumbs in my pocket?”

“You see, a magician never reveals her secrets.”

“But you did all that without real magic!”

Indigo shook her head slightly, still wearing a smirk. “No, no, Joy. It’s real magic… if you believe in it.”

“No… _this_ is real magic,” Joy stated. With a flick of her wrist, the remaining chocolate muffins flew to her hand from their hiding stop. Then, with a snap of her fingers, the muffins disappeared. “Want them back?” she questioned. Indigo stood entirely dumbfounded at what was happening, so Joy simply stepped forward and grasped the other girl’s hands, pulling them so they were outstretched, palms facing upwards. “And… there,” Joy smiled, snapping again and the muffins rematerialized in Indigo’s hands.

“What in the heck!?” Indigo shouted, jumping back so that she dropped the muffins, but before they could hit the ground, Joy caught them with magic and returned them to their original location. “What in the… you have to teach me that!” Indigo gasped. “I could be making way more than just pennies with a trick like that!”

“It’s not a trick… it’s magic,” Joy answered.

“Magic… you mean like… real magic?”

“Of course! I’m a witch from a witching academy. Can’t you tell from my uniform?”

“Well I did think you were dressed a bit peculiarly,” Indigo nodded. “But how come I’ve never met another witch before? Surely you can’t be the only one since you’re at a witching school.”

“No, but we aren’t really supposed to be out here in the non-magical world,” Joy shrugged. “I just… well I’m a bit sick of my parents and schooling and I just wanted magic to be fun again. And using magic to sneak out here and enjoy your world? Well that’s just the fun I was looking for.”

“You mean you’ve never experienced the non-magical world before?”

“No.”

“And you just stay at your school day in and day out learning magic, but you aren’t allowed to use it for fun?”

“Isn’t it just horrid?”

“Let’s have fun then!” Indigo practically shouted. “We can do all sorts of things! And we can do them together! What do you want to start with?”

“I don’t even know what there is to do…”

“Then… say, have you had ice-cream before?”

“No.”

“Perfect then!” Indigo smiled, diving back on her jar of coins. “I should have more than enough for two ice-cream cones…”

* * *

Indigo and Joy sat on a bench, happily munching away on their cold treat. Joy was entirely enamored by the treat, and Indigo found she could hardly stop laughing at the sight of Joy practically inhaling her cone. They were at peace, instant companions, but the sun was beginning to set. That meant Indigo had to hurry home in fear of missing curfew, and even more importantly, Joy and Agatha needed to get back to Cackles before they were missed.

Joy’s and Indigo’s attention was pulled towards a great commotion coming from the square. A poor woman tripped, spilling an armful of papers all over the ground. Once she managed to stand back up, she reached to collect her papers, only to find them blown away. Again, she tried to grab them, but this time the wind blew the papers up into the air just out of her reach. Several others watched in confusion as the woman shouted, leaping all over chasing after the seemingly possessed papers.

Possessed they weren’t, but almost. Joy and Indigo watched as Agatha tripped the woman, only to then use magic to float around the papers, keeping them just out of the poor woman’s reach.

“Is… that your friend?” Indigo questioned. “She’s got the same uniform on as you.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say we’re friends, but yeah, I came here with her today,” Joy answered.

“She’s a bit of a jerk, wouldn’t you say?”

“She’s a prankster.”

“Can’t you… use magic to make her stop?”

Joy bit down the last of her ice-cream before reaching out a concentrating hand. Agatha’s magic was powerful—in fact, she might give Joy a run for her money if she focused more on school and less on pranks—but Joy’s was slightly more refined. With a bit of concentration, Joy overpowered Agatha’s magic and dropped the papers right into their poor owner’s hands.

Agatha turned, spotting Joy easily, and let out an aggravated huff. She stormed over to Joy.

“What was all that about!?” Agatha shouted.

“We need to be getting back to Cackles,” Joy answered.

“So, you’re a witch too, huh?” Indigo questioned, looking Agatha up and down.

Agatha squinted at the new girl, then looked to Joy with question, making sure everything was fine. Since Joy wasn’t panicking, Agatha figured it was fine.

“I’m guessing you’re magical too then,” Agatha shrugged.

“Sure am. Wanna see me make a muffin disappear… and then reappear?” Indigo asked, smirking.

“What’s so special about—”

“Really, we need to get going,” Joy declared more forcefully.

“You’re right. Ada’s probably having a hay day by now.”

Agatha reached out, summoning her broom to her side as she mounted it. Joy did the same, though she remained on the ground as Agatha started to float up into the sky.

“That’s so cool!” Indigo smiled, reaching out and running her fingers down Joy’s broom. “Tell me you’ll come back so we can hang out more.”

“Of course,” Joy nodded. “There’s so much about the non-magical world you need to teach me.”

“And so much about the magical world for you to teach me! Can you take me for a ride on your broomstick someday?”

“Definitely.”

“Come on!” Agatha shouted.

“Bye, Indie,” Joy smiled, her broomstick floating up into the air.

“See you soon, Joy!” Indigo shouted in farewell as the two witches shot away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm re-watching all episode for research, and it's come to my attention that invisibility potions are green... my bad, but I'm not going to change it. Also, Maud's broom is magicked to prevent non-magical people from seeing her, so I'm a bit confused about the visibility/ ban Joy was dealing with. No bother, though. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'm trying to post at least one new chapter every week, so hang around!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at cuppernaut or visit my website for my blog and books: hadfieldcm.com


	4. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joy's friendship with Indigo deepens and they get to talking about what it's like to be magical and the other girls at Cackle's... including one amazing Pippa Pentangle.

“It’s about time you got back here!” Ada shouted, jerking her sister straight off her broomstick. “I’ve been vouching for you all afternoon! You nearly got caught… several times!”

“But we didn’t, right? So it’s fine,” Agatha declared, brushing off her skirt.

Joy landed far more gracefully beside Agatha in the twins’ room. They had floated in through the window, thankful Ada opened it for them.

“What did you two even do?” Ada then asked, sitting down on her bed with a huff.

“We explored the non-magical world,” Joy answered. “They have wonderful music… and this wonderful treat called ice-cream.”

“I pulled pranks on people,” Agatha declared. “It’s crazy what fun you can get up to when you’re invisible.”

“But you didn’t get caught?” Ada questioned.

“No. Joy made a friend though.”

“A friend? How?”

“Another magical girl,” Agatha shrugged. “Say Joy, what school did your friend go to? I didn’t recognize her uniform.”

“Oh, um, I think it’s um… some sort of magical home-schooling. You know how some of those modern witches do…”

“Horrid,” Ada stated with disgust. “You lose all sense of tradition with homeschooling.”

“Do you have any more of that potion, Joy?” Agatha asked, quickly walking to Joy’s side.

“Sure,” she nodded. “I have a couple more vials.”

“Well you best brew up some more because we’re doing that every free second we have. I haven’t had that much fun in… well… ever,” Agatha grinned, slapping Joy on the back.

“You are not!” Ada gasped. “You heard what mother said! You can’t be acting out like this!”

“What harm could a little exploring do?”

“A lot!” Ada shouted. “There are reasons our world is to remain separate from the non-magical world! This isn’t safe!”

“You’re just being a sour puss,” Agatha declared, sticking out her tongue at her sister. “Come on, Joy. Let’s go down to the potions classroom and get the ingredients to brew more.”

“Um… okay,” Joy gave in, following Agatha as they left the bedroom. Ada fell back on her bed with a huff.

“She’ll come around, don’t worry about her,” Agatha said. “She’s a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, but trust me, she loves pranks and breaking the rules just as much as I do.”

Somehow, Joy didn’t quite believe her. Yes, Ada was just as much of a troublemaker as her sister in the past, but something about her tone made Joy think Ada was maturing just a bit faster than her sister. Never mind that though. Joy had to get back to Indigo as soon as possible… get back to her new friend.

As Joy and Agatha skipped down the hall towards the potions classroom, Claire and Emory stood just out of sight.

“I don’t like it… Agatha taking the smartest witch in our year under her wing as a prankster? That’s got to be horrid news for us,” Claire shook her head slowly.

“If we could just get ahead of their games, we could expose them,” Emory answered. “Then it’s bye-bye biggest annoyances.”

Claire nodded, smirking at her friend, before the two girls dashed off.

* * *

Indigo, for the third time that week, watched as her new best friend appeared in the sky above her. She was waiting at the edge of the park for the two witch girls who had swooped into her life like a wonderful gift. Joy was leading the pair, poised high and proud on her broom. Agatha, the girl Indigo never quite understood, was following close behind looking more like a Halloween witch stereotype than anything.

“Joy!” Indigo shouted up into the air, jumping up and down, waving her arms above her head.

“Indie!” Joy laughed with glee, landing just a few feet away. She cast her broomstick to the side, running straight into Indigo’s open and outstretched arms.

When the girls pulled back from each other, Morgana raced up and bumped her head against Indigo’s shin. The girl laughed, bending down to scratch the familiar under the chin.

Agatha landed with a _thud_ beside the two girls, already glancing around the park for her next victim. Since a week ago when the two girls first ventured out into the non-magical world, they had developed a sort of routine. At half past three they would meet Indigo at the edge of the park, Joy and Indigo would embrace with extreme energy, Agatha would pretend to care about them before stalking off to the people in the park, and then Joy and Indigo would run off and have fun until it was time to return to Cackle's.

Just when Indigo and Joy thought Agatha would turn and head off, Agatha instead turned to Indigo.

“So… Joy says you’re magically home-schooled…” Agatha stated, though there was a bite to her words. “You’re supposedly our year but… can you even fly on a broomstick?”

“Of course she can. What a silly thing to say,” Joy declared.

“Okay, then prove it,” Agatha demanded.

Joy and Indigo exchanged subtle glances. “I um… you’ve caught me on a bad day, I’m afraid,” Indigo shrugged. “I just broke my broomstick clear in two earlier today.”

“So you’re a bad flier,” Agatha deadpanned.

“No, I just… I well… I got excited about a new trick I learned so I threw it in the air and it, well… got hit by a car.”

“I don’t believe you,” Agatha stated. “Take Joy’s broom. I bet you can’t even lift it off the ground. Home-schooled witches are such an utter disgrace.”

Indigo looked over to Joy with question, but Joy simply winked at her. Even if Joy didn’t like pulling pranks in the way Agatha did, it didn’t mean she wasn’t capable.

With a slight shrug, Indigo walked over towards Joy’s broom. She stood still, Agatha watching her closely, giving Joy the perfect cover. Quickly, Joy shot out a line of magic which pulled her broom up off the ground where it hovered at the ready beside Indigo. Indigo had seen Joy and Agatha take off enough times to know the routine. She reached down, grasping the broomstick as she carefully mounted it, holding tight. Morgana, the ever helpful familiar, leapt up on the broom behind Indigo, giving a contented _mew_ to help calm Indigo’s nerves. Then, with a flick of her wrist, Joy sent Indigo skyward.

Joy and Indigo both screamed with glee as Indigo shot around. She was gripping the broom so tight her knuckles were white, but the excitement she felt was unparalleled. After about a minute, Joy slowed her flight and lowered her back to the ground without Agatha catching on.

“Unbelievable,” Agatha huffed as Indigo leapt off the broom. “I’m going. Catch you in an hour.”

Indigo and Joy stood for a moment watching Agatha leave, then they turned to each other and sent high-fives flying.

“That was so cool!” Indigo shouted. “Did you see me? I was flying!”

“You were a natural!” Joy concluded. “I mean, I know I was holding the broom up, but you looked completely content up on that broom.”

“It was amazing,” Indigo grinned. She stopped though, glancing back to where Agatha had run off to. She was currently sneaking around behind two men, plotting her next move. “But, um, what’s the deal with your friend?”

“Oh, Agatha?”

“Yeah… she’s such a jerk. What has she got against home-schooled witches?”

“Everyone at Cackle's seems to be completely caught up on tradition. It drives me crazy,” Joy groaned. “Well… except for Pippa…”

“Who’s Pippa?”

Joy’s face colored and she quickly turned away from Indigo. “Um, no one, a classmate,” she stuttered. “Come on, let’s go to the den. I just want to sit down and relax.”

The friends made their way back to Indigo’s den where they set up a little pile of pillows and blankets to sit on. Joy pulled out a canister of biscuits and they started munching, simply enjoying each other’s company.

“Tell me about the girls at you school?” Indigo asked after a few bites. “I know Agatha decently, and you both talk about the other girls, but I hardly know anything about what it’s like to go to a magical school. I want to know about other witches.”

“Well… we’re all just witches in training, so I don’t think we really count,” Joy shrugged.

“You mean to tell me that the power you have is just… completely under-developed?” Indigo gasped. “I can’t even begin to imagine you at your full potential.”

“I mean, I guess technically I’m the best witch in my year, but…”

“But nothing! I knew you were special!” Indigo smiled, shoving at Joy playfully. “I want to hear about your classmates though. What’s their magic like? What’s a typical day at your academy like?”

“I guess I’ll start with the twins,” Joy stated. “That’s Agatha and her twin sister Ada. Their mother is our headmistress… she runs the academy. And once she steps down, the academy is going to be Ada’s, since she’s oldest.”

“I bet that’s why Agatha is so awful then. She’s jealous her sister gets the academy.”

“I don’t even think Agatha likes the academy. It’s really annoying when you have your fate born into you thanks to your bloodline. Agatha and Ada are expected to act a certain way just because the academy belongs to their family. Everything they do, they have to consider the image of the school and whatnot.”

“So they got tired of the pressure and turned to pranksters?”

“I guess so,” Joy shrugged. “Their mother has really been cracking down on them lately though, so I think Ada is trying to shape up. I don’t care though. I don’t hang out with them because I want to follow the rules and get in good with the headmistress, I hang out with them because they’re smart. They, or at least Agatha, understand that we have this amazing gift, this magic, and we should be allowed to use it how we want.”

“I would be that way if I had magic.”

“They’re always harping on us about how magic is dangerous, but I’m top of my year! I have perfect and amazing control! I’m not going to ruin everything just by coming to the non-magical world a few days a week. I mean, look, I’ve made an amazing friend! What kind of dumb rule forbids you from making friends?”

“You’re right. It’s stupid,” Indigo agreed.

“Anyway, so the twins are probably the closest I have to friends at the academy,” Joy continued. “I mean, I’m good on with a lot of the girls just because I’m the best in our year, but that’s just because of the horrid pressures my parents put on me.”

“Who else is in your year though?” Indigo questioned. “I mean, I know about you. You’re the smartest and best witch. And I know about Ada; she’s going to become the next headmistress. And Agatha, she’s the school prankster. But who else is there?”

“There’s the… popular girls,” Joy declared. “I can’t stand them. Claire and Emory… they’re just so bratty. They try to be know-it-alls, but they’re kind of bad at school. They just have such a fakeness to them… a need to always be the center of attention… it’s annoying.”

“Must be lucky being able to stand out like that,” Indigo shrugged. “I only ever attract trouble when I stand out too much.”

“They’re also friends with Avery. I’d consider her one of the popular girls too. She’s… well she can be annoying at times. She’s very much like Emory and Claire. But she’s more grounded… can laugh at jokes that Emory and Claire would never laugh at. And I mean, I don’t ever really talk to them, but I think Avery’s best friends with Pippa.”

“Oh, yes, this Pippa,” Indigo nodded, watching with a smirk as Joy shifted uncomfortably. “She’s the witch who isn’t all about tradition, isn’t she?”

“She just doesn’t have the prestigious bloodline,” Joy answered. “I mean, she’s got a deep and complex witching family, I saw during our family lineage unit. But her family’s just sort of… average. They weren’t ever the most powerful witches or the richest witches… didn’t invent anything or discover anything amazing. So, she doesn’t have the same pressure as everyone else. She also doesn’t have the pretentiousness. That’s why I can’t get along with Emory and Claire.”

“What do you mean?”

“My family… we’ve been feuding with both Claire’s and Emory’s family for centuries… generations,” Joy shrugged.

“What? You mean you witches have family bloodline feuds?”

“Well of course. Don’t non-magical folk have that?”

“No,” Indigo declared. “I mean, there are some stories about a few families, but no one cares anymore. Family feuds are a thing of the past.”

“That’s what Pippa thinks,” Joy stated, smiling fondly. “She believes in kindness and compassion and above all else… she believes in fun. Not just fun, but using magic for fun. The teachers get on her a lot about being too frivolous but… sometimes I wish I could add a little sparkle to my spell just for fun.”

“Why can’t you?”

“My parents would probably skin me alive.”

“So your parents don’t approve of you having fun with magic, and they’ll know from your school assignments, but why can’t you just… add some fun to your magic while you’re studying?” Indigo suggested.

“I… don’t think I know how,” Joy admitted.

“Oh please! You knew how to have plenty of fun when you were controlling me around in the air on a broomstick!”

“That’s different though!” Joy insisted. “That was complete magical control used to… to… win a bet, basically. But if Pippa had done it… you probably would have grown a flower crown and the broom would have had a velvet seat… and maybe there even would have been fireworks.”

Indigo watched the way Joy’s face softened, how she reflected back on all the school projects she had seen Pippa present, how every spell she cast, every chant she sung, had something a little extra, something a little Pippa sprinkled in.

“Maybe you should ask Pippa to teach you,” Indigo stated.

“Teach—what!?” Joy gasped, nearly falling over. She sat up, regaining her balance, but she was shaking roughly, and her face was a horrid red. “I could _never_ ask Pippa Pentangle to teach _me_ magic!”

“Why not?” Indigo shrugged.

“Be… because! If my… if my parents found out, well I’d… and I couldn’t… not if…”

“Your parents aren’t around, Joy! What, did they put some kind of magical tracker on you?” Joy was about to protest again, but Indigo cut her off. “Nope, I’m not believing it. Because if they had, then they’d know about you and me meeting, and about how you’re breaking that part of the Witches’ Code or whatever, blah, blah.”

Joy stared at Indigo for a moment, taking in just how serious the other girl was. Then, Joy burst out laughing. Indigo quickly followed suit.

“I didn’t realize just how badly I needed someone like you in my life,” Joy cried out between laughs, wiping away a stray tear.

“I need you too, Joy,” Indigo answered. “You have no idea how lonely I was…”

“I think I have a pretty good idea…”

“Say, can you magic thread?” Indigo gasped, suddenly leaping up and racing back to her tent where she began to dig through things.

“Thread? I mean, yeah, but why?”

“I want to teach you how to make friendship bracelets… but I think it would be way cooler if we did it with magic,” Indigo smirked. “That’s a frivolous use of magic, right? And who knows, maybe you could even try to add a little Pippa flare to it.”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Come on, I bet you can,” Indigo smirked, proudly presenting Joy with a handful of threads in various colors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got this fic written up to the Spelling Bee! And can I just say, that ish is de-lish? 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'm trying to post at least one new chapter every week, so hang around!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at cuppernaut or visit my website for my blog and books: hadfieldcm.com


	5. Pippa's Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joy's meddling with breaking the Witches' Code for the sake of Indigo, and both her and Agatha are getting more relaxed about being sneaky, meaning the other girls learn start to learn what they're up to.

Joy practically skipped right into charms. She was nearly late, though it didn’t matter because their teacher, Miss Bat, forgot what time it was nearly every day anyway—despite having seven clocks in her classroom. Joy moved in past Ada, who was early for a change. No pranks, it seemed. And Agatha was there, though she was sketching away furiously, and Joy thought she noticed some sort of plan… another prank. She also skipped in past Claire and Emory, who eyed her with annoyance, though Joy hardly noticed.

Avery was invested heavily in a conversation with Pippa, but she stopped, staring at Pippa. Pippa’s attention was clearly pulled elsewhere. In fact, Pippa was staring at Joy—who she looked at most every day in class, though she tried to do so subtly—and she noticed that on her wrist, Joy was wearing some type of handmade bracelet.

“Um, earth to Pippa,” Avery declared, waving her hand in front of Pippa’s face. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I, um, sorry,” Pippa muttered, turning her attention back to Avery.

“Did you see that hideous thing around her wrist?” Emory questioned, leaning over towards Pippa and Avery.

“Oh, that bracelet thing?” Avery asked, finally seeing the article tied around Joy’s wrist.

“She’s probably enchanted it for something,” Claire declared. “We should take it and find out what she’s up to.”

“Leave her alone,” Pippa stated meekly. “Her… sister might have just made her something sweet. You don’t know.”

“The Hardbrooms? Making, giving, or even _keeping_ something sweet?” Emory mocked. “You should know better, Pip.”

“Everyone could use a little happiness in their life… I don’t see why Joy should be any different…” Pippa answered.

“It’s just because you aren’t from such a prestigious witching line as us, Pip. Try not to take it personally,” Claire replied.

Still, the bracelet intrigued Pippa. It interested her because her friends were right. Joy Hardbroom was not one to abandon tradition, yet there she was, with something so utterly _not_ witchy. And not only that, but Joy hadn’t been spending her evenings in the library anymore. Every day, without fail, Joy was in the library studying away. Pippa, when she could, would always go to the library and just… keep note of Joy out of the corner of her eye while she studied. She wanted, really, to approach Joy and ask if she’d like to be study buddies, since Joy always studied alone. But that was the thing of it: Joy probably wanted to study alone, and so Pippa could never find the nerve to bother her.

But now, Joy hadn’t been to the library in over two… nearly three weeks. That meant Joy had to be doing something else in her free time, and maybe that something else was… non-magical bracelets. Something so not traditional that was just… fun.

Pippa drummed her fingers against her desk as she thought. Was there maybe a part of Joy Hardbroom that was interested in the modern, more fun and less traditional, aspects of magic? Was there a chance that maybe Joy would like Pippa’s own magic? Her own quirks? Pippa bit at her lip, trying to suppress a smile.

Well… there was only one way to find out.

* * *

“Can… can we really do that?” Indigo asked, holding her breath.

“I can’t say for certain that it’ll work,” Joy shrugged. “I found the spell in an ancient book and magic is a bit different now days than it was back then. But the ingredients should be right at least, and if I just adjust the ratios a little, I think it could work.”

Indigo ran her fingers lightly over the page of the ancient text. The page detailed the recipe for a potion that allowed a witch to share a bit of their power with a non-magical person. It was strictly forbidden, and the red stamps reading ‘banned’ were all over the book, but somehow Joy had stolen it for her. For weeks now they had been meeting and with each day they grew closer. Magic was wonderful and amazing, and if only Indigo could be just a tiny bit magical… well her horrid lonely life would be so much greater. This spell wouldn’t last forever, but maybe it was the start to Indigo finally having real, working magical magic. Then maybe Indigo could go to Cackles with her best friend Joy and they could be friends with all the other witches. It would be so much better than her crappy home life, than having to perform magic for pocket change.

“It has to be done at night… under a full moon,” Joy stated.

“But… we’ve never met at night,” Indigo frowned.

“No, I know… I couldn’t bring Agatha along,” Joy answered. “Two girls missing after bedtime would be too much of a red flag. But… I think I might be able to brew a different potion to trick the teachers into thinking I’m still in my room. But it’s too risky to do for Agatha as well.”

“I mean, that’s fine, we don’t need her for this anyway.”

“Right,” Joy nodded. “And like I said, I might have to adjust the ratios of this potion, so I’ll just bring out the ingredients and my cauldron and we can brew the potion out here. The moonlight will make the potion more powerful too.”

“When… can we do it?”

“How about tomorrow night?”

“Can we really do it so soon!?” Indigo gasped.

“What’s the point in waiting when you have magic?”

Indigo smirked and nodded. Joy smiled right back. Even if her parents somehow found out what she did, how horribly she broke the Witches' Code, it wouldn’t matter. She’d be a great witch having mastered such a tricky potion. In the words of Agatha Cackle: “What’s the point in having rules anyway if no one ever breaks them?” And thanks to Indigo, in the words of a famous non-magical woman: “Well behaved women seldom make history.”

Tomorrow night, Joy would do both.

* * *

“Where are you going?”

“To find out what Joy’s been up to in her free time lately.”

Emory and Claire looked to each other with surprise, before smirking. They had been trying to plan a way to sneak around following Joy without Pippa knowing, because Pippa strictly frowned upon anything that could negatively impact another girl, but there Pippa was, doing exactly what they were trying to do. How easy it would be for them to tag along with her.

“Are you really stalking her?” Claire asked eagerly, quickly following after Pippa.

“Heavens no, stalking her?” Pippa gasped. “I just… well I just want to see where she goes instead of going to the library to revise. That’s all.”

“We think it’s quite admirable of you, Pip,” Emory declared. “We could learn a lot from her, of course, as she’s such a smart witch, and you never know what you might discover.”

“Just… be a bit quieter,” Pippa huffed.

“Did you cast a locator spell?” Claire questioned.

“Yeah, she’s in the potions classroom right now,” Pippa nodded, sneaking down the hall.

“Bedtime is in ten minutes,” Emory noted. “If she’s sneaking off, we’ll have to cast some sort of spell to conceal ourselves.”

“Don’t let Emory do it,” Claire warned. “She butchered the entire concealment unit.”

“It’s just because I don’t like being subtle.”

“If she’s sneaking out… we aren’t following her,” Pippa declared. “She can keep her secrets if she’s breaking school rules. I’m not getting expelled just to quell my curiosity.”

“I mean, I guess,” Emory muttered.

“There!” Pippa whispered, shoving her friends back against the stone wall near the potions classroom. Through the cracked door, they could just barely see Joy.

Joy had magicked her cauldron so it was floating in the air beside her. She held in her hands the ancient recipe and was using magic to grab and collect the ingredients she needed, tossing them into her cauldron in bulk for transport. Once she was positive she had gathered everything, and stood straight up, she nodded to her familiar Morgana, then transported her cauldron away.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Pippa, Emory, and Claire turned quickly, startled and afraid they had gotten caught, only to find Agatha standing behind them. They made to mutter out an excuse, but Agatha shoved right past them. She couldn’t care less about those girls.

“Where are you going?” Agatha demanded to Joy, who was startled just the same by Agatha’s immediate presence.

“I… it’s nothing,” Joy muttered. “How did you find me?”

“I put a spell on all the potions we made,” Agatha answered simply. “I needed to know if anyone picked up some of those lilac potions without me knowing, because we could get into serious trouble. And here I come to find _you_ sneaking off without me.”

“We never said we couldn’t go out alone,” Joy answered simply.

“We made a pact! Now come on. If you’re going out, so am I.”

Agatha pushed Joy, not roughly, but just enough so that she could snatch one of the lilac vials out of Joy’s pocket. She waited patiently for Joy to procure her own, then both girls clanked together their vials and downed the potion, whispering their spell. Finally, Joy summoned her broom, hopping on as Agatha sat upon hers.

“Just… don’t interfere,” was the last thing Joy said before both witches flew out the open classroom window.

“What was that potion?” Emory questioned with a whisper, turning back to Claire.

“It’s an invisibility potion… or at least some derivative of one,” Claire answered. “You could tell by the color.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t turn invisible to us…” Pippa muttered.

“Well come on! Aren’t we going to follow them?” Claire questioned.

“No, they’re… Joy’s leaving campus…” Pippa noted, checking her locator spell. “We need to retire to bed before we get caught.”

“But—”

“No buts. Now come on,” Pippa said forcefully, already heading off towards her bedroom. She disappeared down the hall, leaving Claire and Emory standing alone.

“We… we aren’t going to bed, are we?” Emory questioned.

Claire frowned. “No. Pippa will be asleep in no time. She’ll never know we didn’t go straight to bed. Come on, we can’t let Joy out of our sight.”

Quickly, both girls summoned their brooms and shot out into the night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't post a chapter at the end of last week--I had a busy weekend. But I'll make up for it by uploading two chapters this week!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'm trying to post at least one new chapter every week, so hang around!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at cuppernaut or visit my website for my blog and books: hadfieldcm.com


	6. The Owl Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joy messes up big time and does something irreversible to Pippa's familiar--on accident! Too bad their teachers discover what they've been up to before they can fix things...

The girls flew for nearly an hour. Luckily, the night was a bit overcast, so Emory and Claire could hide out in the shadows of the clouds to make sure Joy and Agatha never noticed them. Even so, Joy seemed greatly preoccupied by whatever task it was she was trying to fulfill. Agatha, on the other hand, seemed generally bored. 

Eventually, Joy dipped out of the sky, forcing Agatha to follow, and Claire had to grab Emory to keep them from losing sight of Joy entirely. Emory nearly screamed when Claire grabbed her, so Claire had to cast a silencing spell over them both. With an ungraceful _thud_ they both landed just behind a tree. Slowly, they collected themselves and looked around the tree, out into a clearing where they found not just Joy and Agatha, but another girl.

“Joy!” Indigo greeted her friend as they had done countless times before. “I was starting to worry you might not make it because of all the clouds… I think a storm might be rolling in.”

“A little storm wouldn’t have kept me away,” Joy answered, watching humorously as Morgana bumped against Indigo.

“Oh, and look, it’s _you_,” Indigo stated to Agatha, distaste in her tone.

“Look, I don’t give a bat’s butt what you two are up to,” Agatha declared. “I just wasn’t about to miss out on an adventure away from Cackle's.”

“Well, did… could you get the ingredients?” Indigo questioned, turning back to Joy.

“Of course,” Joy replied, snapping her fingers and her cauldron, full of all the ingredients she needed, appeared in the air beside her.

“Do you think I’ll be able to do that? If it works?” Indigo questioned with amazement.

“I certainly hope so,” Joy nodded.

“Well, I don’t care what you two are doing, but just… what exactly are you plotting?” Agatha questioned.

“A spell to temporarily give Indigo magical powers,” Joy answered with a shrug, as if it weren’t a huge violation of the Witches’ Code.

“_Give_ her magical powers? She _has_ magical powers,” Agatha frowned.

“Oh…” Joy muttered, realizing her error.

“You mean, all along, this girl has been non-magical!” Agatha gasped, connecting the dots. “So, you were just lying about her being a witch! But how can she see us? Our potion never failed on anyone else… right?”

“There has to be something magical about Indigo, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to see us,” Joy concluded. “She’s just… lost her powers and I’m helping her get them back. Is that such a crime?”

Emory and Claire looked to each other aghast.

“Joy’s befriended a non-magical girl!?” Emory gasped.

“And she’s trying to give her powers!?” Claire followed.

“We need to hurry,” Joy declared. “The potion will only work when the full moon is at its highest. Come on, Agatha, you can help me measure out ingredients.”

Joy grabbed her cauldron out of the air and sat down in the grass, carefully moving aside all the ingredients and setting them out nicely. Indigo sat nearby, excited, but she dared not touch anything. Even if Joy so adamantly fought against the annoyances of tradition and rule following, she brewed her potions with extreme preciseness and organization. There was a tradition to the way she moved, Indigo figured, and she didn’t want to interrupt.

Back behind the safety of the tree coverage, Emory and Claire continued to be beside themselves.

“I knew Joy was up to something, but I never figured it would be something that was such a huge violation of the Code!” Emory muttered. “We have to go back and tell Mrs. Cackle. That would be the right thing to do, of course.”

“We can’t go now, we hardly any proof,” Claire replied. “If we wait until they brew that potion and give it to the non-magical girl, that’s undeniable proof. And besides, if we—”

“_Shh_, someone’s over there!” Emory gasped, desperately grabbing Claire’s cloak. She pointed a shaky hand over towards the other side of the clearing.

“I… um… let me cast an illumination spell—”

“No! Then Joy and Agatha will know someone else is back here and they’ll catch us!”

“Fine, um… a binocular spell, so we can see what’s over there.”

“Give it night vision too.”

“I don’t know how to do that!”

“Fine, let me cast it. You’re worthless,” Emory groaned. She waved her hands over Claire, casting the spell, and in a matter of seconds, Claire could zoom in her eyesight with ease.

“I’ve always hated this spell. It makes me motion sick,” Claire groaned.

“Just see what’s over there!”

Claire focused her eyes, looking over to the far side of the clearing. It was hard to focus, but when she saw what was making the noise, there was no mistaking it. From around another tree, Pippa stuck out her head cautiously, watching Joy, Agatha, and the non-magical girl with great interest.

“Oh my gosh, it’s Pippa!” Claire all but yelled. Luckily, the silencing spell was still working.

“What do you mean, it’s Pippa?” Emory questioned.

“I mean, Pippa’s right there, clear as day! Or… clear as a night vision binocular spell. She must have lied to us about going to bed… and then followed Joy herself!”

“Brat,” Emory huffed.

“Is… is it working!?” Indigo gasped, jumping up as the liquid in the cauldron began to sparkle and shift from a dilute grey to a vibrant orange.

“I think so!” Joy exclaimed. “At least… it brewed, and it has some sort of magical properties!”

“Okay, okay, what do we do next?”

“Well, we each have to take a sip and then I’ll cast the spell on you. And if all went according to plan, you should be able to do simple magic so long as we’re both focusing.”

Agatha stepped away from the pair, eager to watch, but cautious should something go wrong. Joy ladled out some of the potion, taking a sip before passing the ladle to Indigo, who took a sip as well. Then, Joy stood, standing and facing Indigo, and she recited the spell. A spark illuminated from both the girls before colliding between them with a powerful crack. The mini explosion sent both girls tumbling backwards, falling to the ground.

The explosion startled both Emory and Claire, who again were thankful for their silencing spell. Pippa, on the other hand, was far less prepared. Not only did the explosion startle her, but it freaked out her poor cat familiar, who spazzed free of her arms and bolted straight out into the clearing.

“Horus! No! Come back!” Pippa gasped, stumbling out of her cover and after her black cat.

“Joy! It’s a cat!” Indigo stated, noticing the creature that was making a beeline straight for her. Indigo struggled to her knees and reached out for the terrified creature.

“No, Indie, it’s a—”

Indigo’s hand made contact with the black cat and the potion’s magic took effect, instantly shocking the poor creature. Not only that, but in an instance the cat was changed into an owl.

“Familiar…” Joy finished.

“Horus!” Pippa screamed, now confused and terrified as she fell to her knees beside the owl that was now her familiar.

“Pi… Pippa!?” Joy gasped.

“I… think the potion worked…” Indigo declared, a slight chuckle to her voice. Agatha, also, found this strange turn of events to be quite hilarious, as she doubled over laughing. 

“This isn’t funny!” Pippa shouted at Indigo. “You’ve turned my familiar into an owl!”

Claire grabbed Emory tightly by the collar of her shirt. “Come on, let’s get back to Cackle’s,” Claire stated forcefully. “There’s no way those fools can turn Horus back to a cat before the headmistress finds out, if we alert her quick enough.”

“You’re right,” Emory nodded, grabbing her broomstick.

Instantly, the two girls took off for the night sky again.

“Oh, Horus, my poor baby… I’ll turn you back just as soon as I can figure out how,” Pippa muttered, running her fingers through the owl’s feathers.

“Pippa, what are you doing here?” Joy questioned, finally getting her bearings enough to race over to the center of commotion.

“You mean, _this_ is Pippa? Pippa Pentangle?” Indigo questioned, smirking.

“I was following you, you big dummy!” Pippa shouted, suddenly quite boisterous. She stood up fully, matching Joy’s height.

“Why… were you following me?” Joy questioned. “You aren’t… you wouldn’t… tattle on us, would you?”

“That depends on if you can change my familiar back or not!”

“Of course we can change him back,” Indigo scoffed. “Right, Joy?”

“Sure,” Joy shrugged, turning to face the owl. “Just… do the opposite of what you just did, and I’ll feed you some magic.”

Pippa waited expectantly, tapping her foot impatiently, as she watched the two girls try—and fail—to revert her familiar. Agatha simply shrugged, watching the exchange but offering no help.

“Hope you like owls,” Agatha stated.

“I’ll turn you into an owl if you don’t watch it,” Pippa huffed, though Agatha knew she wouldn’t… probably.

“It wasn’t even my fault for once,” Agatha pouted. “Yet I’m still probably going to get in trouble for it.”

“Maybe the potion’s worn off already?” Indigo shrugged. “I mean… I certainly don’t feel any different than I did…”

“Just, let me try to fix it then. On my own,” Joy muttered, finding herself increasingly embarrassed. For some reason, she found she only wanted to be the best around Pippa and turning poor Pippa’s familiar into an owl was the last thing she wanted to do.

Pippa, Indigo, and Agatha waited as Joy tried several different things, even going so far as to brew an entirely new potion, but nothing seemed to work.

“I swear I didn’t mean to change your cat into an owl,” Indigo apologized.

“What spell did you even cast?” Pippa questioned.

“I dunno.”

Pippa looked at the other girl dumbfoundedly. “What do you mean, you don’t know? What did you cast?”

“I didn’t cast anything.”

“Joy!” Pippa practically demanded. “Who is your friend? How come she doesn’t know what spell she cast?”

“I, um, oh geez…” Joy muttered, sheepishly coming to stand before Pippa. “She’s just… I um…”

“She’s non-magical,” Agatha answered with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah,” Indigo confirmed. “Joy found this ancient spell that could give a non-magical person powers for a short while, so we tired it out and I accidentally turned your familiar into an owl. Sorry again, by the way.”

“You’re non-magical?” Pippa questioned.

“I know I broke the Code associating with her!” Joy gasped. “But please, I swear, that’s not what it is, I just… You don’t understand, Pippa. Indigo, she’s… well she’s brilliant. And she believes in magic and she deserves so much better than what life’s given her.”

Pippa was silent, looking back and forth between Indigo and Joy for several beats. “Joy, I’m not going to rat you out,” Pippa finally whispered. “Is this what you’ve been doing instead of studying in the library?”

“You… noticed I wasn’t studying in the library?”

Pippa’s cheeks colored and she looked away bashfully, stuttering, “No, I mean… well I… the point is… I just… Ugh! Just, turn my familiar back, please!”

“I’m trying!” Joy snapped, turning back to her cauldron. She was getting increasingly irritated at her inability to fix things. She was a Hardbroom. She could do anything… fix anything.

“What ancient spell did you use?” Pippa finally managed to ask with an even voice.

Joy grabbed the old book and brought it over to Pippa, who scanned the page. “It’s all in Latin,” Joy said dismissively. Cackle’s didn’t teach Latin, at least not to the younger years, so she didn’t figure Pippa could read Latin. She was right.

“Okay, but this part isn’t,” Pippa stated, pointing at some scribbles on the side of the page.

“No, that’s in French,” Joy conceded. “It’s clearly irrelevant since French isn’t a real magical language. Some non-magical person probably just found the text and scribbled in it.”

“Yes, the Joy I know is obsessed with tradition,” Pippa said a bit negatively. Her words struck Joy right in the heart. She longed to correct Pippa, tell her what she really thought about tradition, that it was annoying and suffocating and that all she wished was for the modern magical freedom Pippa possessed. But she couldn’t, because Pippa continued. “If you knew any French—though of course, why would you, it’s a frivolous language—then you would know that this note says, ‘Warning, don’t add more than four point three seven grams of ground pig wart, otherwise you’ll make a reveal potion.’”

“You… know French?” Joy questioned, staring at Pippa with awe.

“What’s a reveal potion?” Indigo questioned, far more on track.

“If something is magicked into a certain form, then a reveal potion turns the object back into its original form,” Agatha said dismissively.

“But wait… that means…” Pippa muttered, looking down at her familiar.

“Your cat was an owl all along!” Indigo gasped.

“Oh, Horus…” Pippa muttered, holding out her arm. The owl flew up and settled on her arm, letting out a soft _hoot_. “How am I ever going to explain to Mrs. Cackle why I’ve got an owl familiar now…”

“Surely Joy can just… magic him back into a cat,” Indigo shrugged.

Pippa looked up at Joy, an expression on her face Joy couldn’t quite understand, but it looked almost like admiration. “Joy’s an exceptional witch… the best witch I know… but even if she knew how, her magic simply isn’t strong enough for an advanced spell like that. No one our age has that much power and control…”

“Are… you going to get in trouble then?” Indigo asked Pippa.

“Perhaps Horus could just… stay outside… and in the meantime I could borrow someone else’s cat familiar. It might work out,” Pippa shrugged.

“I know my magic isn’t powerful enough to change him back, but we could work something out with the magic we do have… something to trick the teachers at least, just so the teachers won’t find out—”

“Find out about what?”

All four girls spun on their heels, only to find their form mistress and Mrs. Cackle standing there, having materialized right in the clearing.

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” Mrs. Cackle said solemnly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did Joy get caught in the middle of the night? No, according to the flashback, it was the middle of the day and at the park. But... memories can be deceiving, especially after a lifetime of regret and wishing things had gone differently. Just because a flashback is canon, doesn't mean the memory is accurate ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'm trying to post at least one new chapter every week, so hang around!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at cuppernaut or visit my website for my blog and books: hadfieldcm.com


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